Show-case.



PATENTED NOV. 5, 1907.

E. s. 351mm).

SHOW CASE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21, 1906.

if Fig.1.

55 en ezer: Bedford Witnvaua UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

EBENEZER S. BEDFORD, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TORAY- MOND M. FERGUSON, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

SHOW-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907.

Application filed May 21. 1906- Serial No. 318,108.

ject of Great Britain, residing at Grand Rapids in the county of Kentand State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Show-Gases, of which the following is'a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in show cases for use in exhibitinggents dress goods, &c. in stores where the rooms are very high, and itsobjects are: First, to utilize the entire height of the room for storingand exhibiting goods, and second, to provide a means whereby the goodsin any part of the show case may be easily and conveniently brought toposition to be easily inspected or removed from the case.

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of.the show case. Fig. 2is a front elevation of the same with the casing removed upon the linea. a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is the same with the casings in place. Fig. -l isa top plan of the case open to show the distribution of the severalelements inside the case; Figs. 5 and 6 are a top plan and a sideelevation respectively of the hangers that support the sprocket wheelsin the case; Fig. 7 is a perspective of a form of hanger to use with theshow case for exhibiting shoes and other shelf articles. and Fig. 8 is aperspective of one form of available guard for the sprocket chains torun in. 7

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The first necessary element in this show case is the frame A which ismade of a height to correspond with the height of the room in which itis to be used. This frame or case may be inclosed with glass panels, asindicated in Figs. 1 and 3, and has a door B that slides upward; asindicated by the dotted lines B, so that the I case may be easilyentered, when desired.

For storing the goods. as gents furnishing goods, &c., I provide twoendless sprocket chains L L, which are each supported upon four sprocketwheels Q,or such other number as may seem desirable-, and place bars Macross from one chain to the other, of sufficient strength to support anumber of suits of clothes, as indicated at N. said suits being securedupon said bars M by any desired form of hangers, as m or in case shelfgoods are to be exhibited, I provide a shelf N which may be hung uponthe bars h/I by the hooks n.

For the purpose of carrying the goods up and around in the case so thatdifferent samples may be readily brought to the desired position, I haveshown a crank C secured to a shaft G. Secured to this shaft isabevelgear D arranged to mesh with the bevel gear E on the shaft F, which, inturn, is provided with a bevel gear G at the opposite end, arranged tomesh with the bevel gear H on the shaft I, and this shaft is provided-with two sprocket wheels J .I from which sprocket chains K K pass toand engage with corresponding sprocket wheels on the sides of thesprocket wheels Q at the top of the case, so that when the crank O ismade to revolve the motion of the shaft 0 will be transmitted to theupper wheels Q and cause the chains L, and. with them, any goods thatmay be stored in the case, to travel with them from bottom to top, andvice versa, to bring the desired goods to the desired position. I preferthat the chains, when being loaded with goods, be made to travel in thedirectionof the arrow in Fig. 1, as by this means, the goods beingplaced in the case from the front will, to a certain ex tent, tend toassist in raising the goods being carried upward at the back of thecase. That is, the goods may, thereby, be carried up with much lessexertion on the part of the operator than if the chains were made totravel in the opposite direction, and, besides, the goods are, by thismeans, carried constantly away from the operator and the placing of thegoods in the case'is much more convenient, thoughit is designed to causethe chain to travel in either direction so that goods may be readilybrought from either direction to the desired position in the 'case.

In Fig. 2 I have shown the guard O in section so that the chain may beplainly exhibited, but it will be readily seen that this guard isdesigned to project out at both sides of the chain beyond the edges sothat the goods cannot be injured by coming in contact with the chain,and the gear wheels Q are likewise protected by the outer wing of thesupports P, and these supports are pivoted to the frame A by a screw atp, with a slot p at the other end so arranged that this .end may beswung around to tighten the chains L L in case they become loose bywear, or otherwise.

I prefer that the sprocket wheels Q, be run upon ball bearings as thisaverts the necessity of using lubricants to prevent wear upon thejournals supporting them, and thus remove a very productive source ofaccident to the goods while in the case.

R represents a gage or indicator to show which grade of goods is uponexhibition. This gage averts the necessity of placing the price &c. uponthe goods themselves, but is not a necessary adjunct to the case as theprice placed upon the goods will answer the purpose, except that withthe gage the-position of any grade of goods not in sight may be locatedand much labor avoided by knowing which way to turn the crank to bringthe desired goods sooner to the operator. This gage or indicator may beactuated from the shaft C, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, v

chains K K, form an equalizing shaft that compels both of the chains L Lto travel uniformly so that the bars M will always be level no matterhow many times they may be carried around in storing or exhibiting goodsin the case, or which way they may be carried.

If desired a motor, as indicated at S in Fig. 2, may be applied to theshaft C to actuate the elevating mechanism of the case, and the case maybe illuminated and actuated as an advertising device Without digressingfrom the spirit and intent of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States,,is:

1. In combination f'with a vertical show case, independent hangersadjustably secured to each side of the case. a short shaft in each ofsaid hangers, a sprocket wheel revolubly mounted on each of said shafts,endless sprocket chains mounted vertically on said sprocket wheels, acrank and shaft, an equalizing shaft set to one side of the verticalchains, means for transmitting motion from the crank shaft to theequalizing shaft, a sprocket chain connecting the sprocket wheel at eachend of the equalizing shaft to a corresponding sprocket wheel connectedwith each vertical chain so that each chain will be driven independentof, but in unison with the other.

2. In combination, a vertical show case, independent adjustable hangerssecured to each side of the case at top and bottom, a short shaft ineach of said hangers, a sprocket wheel revolubly mounted on each of saidshafts, vertical sprocket chains mounted on said wheels, one at eachside of the case and each independent of the other, cross bars betweensaid chains, an equalizing shaft to one side of said chains, a sprocketwheel at each end of the equalizing shaft, a sprocket chain connectingeach of said sprocket Wheels with a sprocket wheel arranged to drive thesprocket wheels that carry the chain, each independent of but in unisonwith the other, means for revolving the equalizing shaft and through itthe sprocket wheels in the case, and guards covering the verticalchains.

3. In combination, a vertical show-case, independent sprocket wheelsmounted therein each upon a short shaft independent of the other,vertically movable chains mounted on said sprocket wheels, an equalizingshaft mounted in the case some distance from the chains, means forrevolving the equalizing shaft, a sprocket wheel at each end of theequalizing shaft, a sprocket chain from each of said sprocketwheels to acorresponding sprocket wheel in posi tion to transmit motion to each ofthe first named sprocket chains independently of but in unison with theother, and an index connected with and actuated by the mechanism thattransmits motion to the chains.

Signed at Grand Rapids Michigan May 18 1906.

EBENEZER S. BEDFORD.

